Mobile Fun

Samsung Gravity 3 Offers Robust Messaging, Sleek Looks

The Samsung Gravity 3 doesn't stray too far from the Gravity 2's formula. Having been one of T-Mobile's bigger messaging phone successes, there's really no reason to. However, it does add some changes that make it an overall worthy option for text-heavy users.

Physically, the latest handset in the series has received a noticeable makeover. It's a more attractive, more stylish design that's bound to make it an even bigger hit among its core audience. Display is a 2.4-inch LCD (320 x 240 resolution), with good colors and plenty of sharpness for its size. It has two keypads - an alphanumeric one in the front panel and a slide-out horizontal QWERTY. Both are good, although, the keys are only slightly raised (you can get used to it after a while).

As a phone, the Gravity 3 makes for good calls, with clear audio and just very slight distortion on some occasions. Those on the other end reported the same thing. Speakerphone has ample loudness and adds just a bit of echo to the sound. Battery is rated at 6 hours of talk time.

Designed for heavy messaging, it supports SMS, MMS, IM (Yahoo, Windows Live and AIM), audio postcards and email. For email, there's support for all sorts of web-based providers, as well as one Exchange account (with SSL encryption, no less). Messaging interface is simple, but full-featured.

It has all the basics covered, including a 1,000-contact address book, PIM tools, various voice features and stereo Bluetooth. There's also aGPS and HTML web browsing using T-Mobile's web2go. The Gravity 3 has pretty strong 3G connectivity, with YouTube videos loading after just a few seconds of buffering.

The media player is pretty much the same as the old Gravity - serviceable, but nothing special. It has 2.0 megapixel camera with a good range of editing options and average-looking photo quality.

Overall, we love the Samsung Gravity 3 as a messaging phone. While it could use some improvements in user experience and a better keyboard, it's a solid purchase for $49.99 with a two year agreement from T-Mobile.

This post was written by: Franklin Manuel

Franklin Manuel is a professional blogger, web designer and front end web developer. Follow him on Twitter